aljazeera.com/considerthis or facebook or google plus pages. we will see you next time. >> good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. >> the engineer - new clues and questions about what he was doing moments before the deadly derailment. >> bankrupt - a proud city makes history for the wrong reasons. the grim news and steps to save detroit from the grim. >> biden in beijing. the vice president in china for a crucial visit. >> image is everything. this is not a photograph of morgan freeman. what it is is simply extraordinary.

>> you are looking at live pictures of air force two in beijing china. vice president joe biden landed, days after the b 52 flew no disputed airspace over the south china sea, and questions about the disputed islands between japan and china. that's what the vice president is talking about in budget after leaving japan. we'll have more on that in a moment. >> we begin with this - the deadly train derailment. investigators say it was travelling at 82 miles per hour, three times the limit before the crashing, killing four, leaving dozens injured. with the speed we are learning something new about the man at the controls and what happened in the seconds before the disaster. lisa stark has more on that.

>> they wouldn't say what condition rockefella may have been in. there's no indication of mechanical problems. the brakes, which was barrelling at 82 miles per hour into a 30 miles per hour curve, the brakes were working fine out all the stocks. here is m.t.s.b. board member earl wiener. >> there's no indications that the break systems were not functioning properly. rocker fella was on the second day of a nine hour shift. he should have had plenty of time to get a full night's sleep before showing up on monday n morning for the 5am run. they'll look into that. another issue is positive train control, ptc, a system that rail roads are installing that would

allow a computer system to take over control of the train to stop or slow it if the engineer fails to act in a dangerous situation. the m.t.s.b. has been calling for it for decades. it may have made a difference here. the m.t.s.b. who operates the line said it budgets $620 million for positive train control, but says it and others will not meet the mandated deadline of 2015 to have the system installed. the m.t.s.b. investigation, meantime, continues. >> lisa stark, thank you. the federal agency investigating the crash relieved the rail union from the investigation, citing a breach in confidentiality. joining us now from portland oregon is randy russ, he's a strain conductor, and a mem befr of the oregan united transportation union. good morning, good to see you.

>> hello. >> give us your reaction to what weigh heard about the engineer falling for nodding off, so to speak. is this something that just happens? >> well, yes, it can happen under those circumstances. as i have been following it, i know the engineers been running that run for a period of time. even though it's - from your previous reporter, the - he got his rest, there's a certain comfort zone you get into when you work over a certain period of track on a regular basis. there's a rhythm of the rail. you get riding on that, even at the high speeds, that you can - you can nod off. we all do it. it happens all the time. >> i guess truckers call it white line fever. it's similar, right. >> yes, it's very similar. you are staring at the windshield at the same amount of

track. you have gone by it many times. as i understand he was an a very straight piece of rail coming up to the curve, so there is the possibility of having those little 20 second kat naps. >> is fatigue a big problem in your business? >> yes. particularly in freight rail industry, the class one side. the fatigue issue is a big deal, and your reporter talked about ptc, and that is one of the reasons why the federal rail administration is pushing it so hard because of the fatigue issue. >> when we talk about passenger trains, you suggested one engineer may not be enough, you need more than one. >> yes, that's another huge safety issue. under certain circumstances, they are allowed to run with one person in the lead cab. in my industry, in the freight

industry we work with a conductor and engineer, and we keep track of each other, we watch out for each other. when you have the short runs in the north-east corner where you are high speed, over 100 k/hr, up to 130, they have been allowed to run with one person scrks you don't have the safety aspect of it when you have another person there to remind you of the upcoming situation. >> what about the technology, which might take control of the train if it appears that the engineer isn't responding properly? >> well, positive train control is a system that monitors the engine. there's computers on the engine that communicates with satellites and the signalling systems, they will or should have safeguards. when you go from a high speed section. track to a slow speed corner to a curve. he was doing 82.

i think the curve was rated for 30 mph, and so the speed in that area was 70. that would have overcome his lapse or his - the inattention that came across with it, in that time frame. >> do you think changes need to be made now? >> yes, i think they do. these requests for extensions are - would be - especially in the passenger side, are a huge problem, i think. i know the la, where they had that terrible metro accident 25 people killed. they are going be online in a month or so. they'll be testing. there's no reason why the carriers can't develop these processes. these are billion dollar corporation, and they really don't have that much of an excuse. it's just that having the technologies crossing lines can be a problem sometimes, but i

think they can overcome those. >> randy russ, it's great to talk to you tonight. thanks very much. coming up at the bottom of the hour a look at the legal liability that could be involved in the metro crash. now to the other big story - the fate of detroit. a judge ruled it was eligible for bankruptcy, a below to a city that has been struggling for years. unemployment tripled, population declined 60% since 1950. things are going from bad to worse. diane eastabrook has more. >> orr wants the plan to be as easy as possible. judge steven rhodes' ruling gives the state emergency manager the right to cut

pension, sell debt. outside the court detroit municipal workers and retirees protested. the retiree called it a death sentence for detroit. services of city residents will be slashed. potentials will go on the chopping block. art institute, the water department sold off. >> the judge said bankruptcy may be the only way to breathe new life into detroit given its debt, crumbling infrastructure and crime rate. in his ruling the judge said: >> in a controversial decision rhodes said the state pensions could be on the chopping block. they'll be treated as any other

contract. the union will speak to kevin orr. >> when you are an institutional creditor you make investment decisions. if you work for the city of detroit for your life and retire and someone says, "sorry, didn't mine it." that's a different situation. kevin orr told reporters that he would work with the unions, but wouldn't make promises. >> we are trying to be thoughtful. measured and humane about what we have to do. the reality is there's not enough money to address the situation. >> an appeal has been filed by some. others may follow. >> joining us from detroit is reverend charles williams, a pastor at the king solomon baptist church, and the president of the national action network michigan chapter. reverend, it's good to see you. thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> as i understand it the number

of members of your church could be impacted by the decision. what is your reaction? . >> the city of detroit will be affected. 20,000 folks on the pension system could be flung into poverty. 21,000 people that won't buy cars, or shop, or that won't be able to go to the movies, 21,000 people that will not be able to pay rent. this is serious for the local economy. it will be a disaster in years to come as we see this thing go. that's the reason we are continuing to stand with detroit, and we'll stand up and fight back. we'll file the appeal and file it all the way to the supreme court. >> you think bankruptcy is a make. what is the alternative. >> we don't just think it's a mistake. we think it is illegal. first and foremost we have to understand that emergency management itself - we have two

lawsuits filed, national action network, filed a law sued a few months ago. we repealed public at four, the emergency manager legislation. the governor came back with the same legislation, attached it to some money so it couldn't be repealed again, made it repeal proof. we feel the city of detroit never went into bankruptcy. you have to think about it like this: this mayor did not lead us into the bankruptcy. the city council never voted for bankruptcy. we feel it is illegal. on the other end of this the state and the city put $400 million together to build a new hockey arena here in the city of detroit. we are paying millions of dollars to jones a and lawyers, across the city of detroit and

the nation, to to lead the bankruptcy... ..we are paying a lot of money out now that we could put in a place where we could make sure that we take care of the pensioners. >> we are talking $20 billion, not $400 million. >> yes, but what we have to understand is the nation is dealing with the same issue. cleveland and atlanta, la, are all dealing with the same issue. the way to solve it is not on the backs of the pensioner, but make sure the banks that we bailed out at $1.8 trillion - they are the ones that caused the catastrophe in the united states of america. and they need to pay. they need to take big major hits. it will not hoppen by doing this on the backs of the potential. >> thank you for sharing your staffy. we appreciate it.

>> turning now to vice president joe biden's drip to asia, he arrived in beijing moments ago for talks with china's leaders. earlier in tokyo he weighed in on china and japan's battle o over the islands, signalling his support for japan. >> we, the united states, are deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the east china sea. >> he told japan he will bring up the controversy with leaders in budget. the u.s. is obligated by treaty to defend japan and its territories. >> what are we expecting to happen at the meetings? >> well, that's right. it is a balancing act if you like for joe biden. he has to balance the wishes of america's long-standing allies in this part of the world, south

korea and japan, who have been incensed by the unilateral move by the chinese. it raised levels to that which we hadn't seen. we have to balance that and be tough and mindful of the importance of the relationship between america and china, described as the world's most important bilateral relationship. as he arrives in beijing, there seems to be no sign that the chinese will back down. if anything, the defence ministry put out a wide sweeping statement explaining why it says it has the right and, in fact, the need to put in place the air control measures over the disputed part of the east china sea. xi jinping himself - there's a lot of speculation about the relationship and rapport that

exists between vice president and before he was president of the country. they do get on well together. it's a relationship that has been nurtured. it is difficult to see how xi jinping will back down after unilaterally putting this in place. it's difficult to see how they will unilaterally rescind the measure. it falls in line with china's robust stance. it's hard to see how joe biden will be able to get something from this that will save face, if you like. tough talking ahead. >> rob mcbride in hong kong. thank you very much. >> good evening, everyone, earlier tonight we were talking about the snow event happening in the north. we are dealing with it out here in the west. actually, here in wyoming highway 90 is closed because the

snow. idaho saw 30 inches of snow. i want to show you what colorado looks like. this is fort collins, colorado, live pictures out of colorado. we are looking at a lot of snow. it will continue in the region about 18 inches of snow, of course much more in the overpat. if the wind picks up, visibility will go down considerabliry. coming back to the wall, and we'll look at what is in the picture. we are looking at warnings. a lot of winter storm warnings. they are the dark blue ones, nevada, utah, wyoming. i'll get to the north in a bit. here the snow will be substantial. the snow up to the idaho, and we expect that to go down in intensity. it will be colorado. that's where the 18 inches over the next 24-36 hours, we are

looking at about 2 feet. >> kevin, just ahead an al jazeera exclusive. >> we are against nuclear weapons based on religious doctrine. >> iran's for instance on nuclear talks and why the world is seeing a new iran. airbags for your healed. the new vention for bikers.

the deal that freezes iran's nuclear program has been caused historic and a historic mistakes. the deal calls for daily inspections. iran's foreign minister mohammad javad zarif sat down with al jazeera's hashem al hebarra for an interview. >> iran does not seek nuclear weapons, we do not believe it will increase our security.

we believe that the perception that iran is seeking nuclear weapons is destructive of our detriment. we are against weapons based on religious and strategic docket rates, based on ethical considerations and based on political considerations and legal considerations. so for us nuclear weapons have no place whatsoever in our defense. all of us in this region need to unite against a nuclear program that has been a threat to this region. we have all shared this view since 1974, that we need to establish a region free from weapons of destruction in the middle east. the only regime in the middle east that has nuclear and chemical weapons, and diverts international attention from the fact that it is a violator from

the mtp and international instruments on weapons of mass destruction, and a violator of the most basic human rights of the palestinians, trying to divert attention from its inhumane policies. >> many wonder what is it that prompted iran to go for the deal. under former president mahmoud ahmadinejad it was a totally different rhetoric - the west is undermining the tenants of the islamic republic of iran. suddenly there's a break through. is it because sanctions were biting into the economy or from a political perspective, architects have been undermined. it was time to show the world. >> in iran we have political

elections, popular elections, and the people choose governments. they chose mahmoud ahmadinejad years ago and they chose a different path this time around. that provided an historic opportunity to us and the west to address this issue. we are not talking about sanctions. the effect on sanctions have been two fold. when sanctions started iran has less than 200 centrifuges, we have 1900. the met product the 18,800 centrifuges that has been added to the stock. centrifuges, so anxiouses have utterly failed in that regard. it seems the west is taking advantage of that opportunity. we have a new government in iran with a different approach to foreign policy. they have not changed. we will insist on our rights. we will not negotiate or

compromise on the rights of our people. we believe this can be addressed through constructive engagement. the window of opportunity is limited. >> israel is not impressed from comments from the iranian foreign minister. there's no shortage of finger pointing between the two countries. reaction from jerusalem, from nick schifrin. >> here in jerusalem the israelis are smarting over the terms and deal made with iran. israel tried privately and publicly to convince the u.s. not to make the deal. now it's trying to get the concessions it was trying to get earlier. they have four or five months to do that. earlier today i was talking to the spokeman for the foreign ministry and he described exactly what israel wants. >> the essentials is to

dismantle capacity that iran can get for a peaceful program from abroad like other countries do. it will mean dismantling plutonium, it only serves for military purposes. it will have to address the ballistic missiles because those are not needed for peaceful purposes. >> they are big asks, iran already has that. it didn't have to talk about the missiles that can reach israel ra, to no incidentive to give them up. one advisor to prime minister benyamin netanyahu said it may need a new best ally now they can't rely on the u.s. at the end of the day the u.s. relationship with israel will

remain. israel knows it has to bring the relationship back. it's trying to figure out how to make sure the drift between the u.s. and israel doesn't become a real risk. >> also today the white house called efforts by u.s. senator for more sanctions, unacceptable. >> michael eaves is here with sport. an interesting coaching move in the n.b.a. >> very interesting, especially in december. brooklyn nets announce in a curious move as jason kidd has reassigned assistant coach lawrence frank to a new roam, in which he will not attend practices or games. he'll file reports. the nets entered the night with a five and 12 record. in college football, u.s.c. introduced a new coach.

steve sarkisian takes over the role. lane kiffin was fired. steve sarkisian was under pete carroll. steve sarkisian had anticipated a university of washington in 2008. in baseball. the new york yankees agreed to a $750 million with free agent center fielder jack oby ellsbury. a deal that comes in the wake of catcher brian mccann's 5-year, $85 million deal with the yankees. else brie hit 0.298 with 53 rbi in 52 stone bases while helping boston red sox win the world series this past seen. >> was is a crime - we look at the derailment and the law. >> this is not a photograph of morgan freeman. we will tell you what it is coming up.

. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new

york. here are the stories: >> a union official said the man at the controls was nodding off. the train was going three times the speed at the time of the accident. >> a federal judge said detroit is eligible for bankruptcy. it clears the way for the city to deal with $20 billion in debt. >> vice president joe biden arrives in beijing, he'll meet with leaders from china's territorial dispute. it comes after china claimed airspace over disputed islands. biden emphasised today u.s. support for japan. >> now we want to take a closer

look at the train derailment and the question of liability. let's bring in our legal analyst jami floyd. if - this is a big if - if the engineer nodded off as we heard from union officials, what is the legal liability there. >> we have two kinds - criminal and civil. as you say, it is a big if. we have heard different phrases going around, he lost focus, went into a daze, highway hip noses and white-line fever. they all can mean different things, even in terms of the kind of liability. if there's a recklessness or criminal intent, well, then, we might be talking about a criminal prosecution. we saw that in the staten island ferry case in 2003 where the pilot - that's the phrase we used for a ferry driver, was

indeed prosecuted. 11 people died and others injured. he served 18 months in prison. he had taken pain-killers. we have no indication of anything of that sort. weeks and months of investigation and thus far - no indication of any sort of reckless negligence, which was what was indicated. there a potential manslaughter claim. here we have something that is much more reducible to civil liability. that is more likely in cases like this. >> let me try this on you then. if he wasn't under the influence of anything and he didn't do anything wrong, and he might have nodded off accidentally. who is responsibility is it and will the law look at the mta and whether or not they had the right - he had the right support, whether or not he got enough rest, rules and

regulations. >> the law is already looking at the mta because lawsuits have been filed. at least one lawsuit has been filed today by one injured woman, a dentist on her way to a convention. the focus of the lawsuit is metro north and the mfa. ultimately when injuries happen, there is an effort to attribute fault. sometimes terrible accidents happen and the question is who is to blame, who is at fault. if there's no criminal negligence or recklessness, criminal tent, if a terrible accident happiness and he dozes off at the wheel and mill yonls and millions - perhaps as much of 500 million of injuries is down to the people, someone has

to comment them. >> the question is whether the mta made the trains safe. >> whether the trains are safe enough, regulations are adequate. if the answer to all of those questions is yes. some question may still be paid out in a settle. to address pain and suffering for the victims. >> good to see you jami floyd. a new report from french forensic scientists is raising more questions about the death of yasser arafat. the study says he was not the victim of poisoning. it contradicts an earlier study that he may have been poisoned by polonium. >> in death and life yasser arafat is a light nig rod for controversy. nine years after his burial. forensic experts in france ruled that he was not the victim of

polonium, contradicting findings released last month. the swiss findings supported the position that his death was caused by polonium. a team of french scientists found traces of polonium consistent with the environment. the widow reacted to the report. >> translation: you can imagine to the extent that i am upset by the answers in this matter. >> swiss scientists found high levels of polonium in blood and samples retrieved from clothing that yasser arafat had on. yasser arafat's widow requested an inquiry, leading to the exhumation of his body. 60 samples were distributed to

forensic scientists from france, italy and russia. it was concluded that arafat was poisoned. >> the characteristic of him having a dose of polonium before he died. those levels are about 36 times what you would expect in a normal person. >> according to palestine officials russian scientists reported the death inconclusive. they found in yarra fat's tissue may have cam from naturally occurring gases in the soil surrounding his coffin. >> palestine officials say they will name their pictures. a dramatic rescue one man thought would never happen. >> he's alive. >> newly released video shows the moment a ship's cook was

pulled from underwater, after spending three days trapped in a dug boat. harrison okene survived by breathing in an airpocket and drinking soda. the boat overturned in may. other crew members perished. >> an underwater discovery of a different sort. check out the megasub found off hawaii. the vessel was one of five that met a similar fate, sunk by the u.s. military. >> next, reaching for the dreams. how a tool is saving lives for the better. a pablo piccaso for the price of a cell phone. the story, the work, coming up.

tomorrow the 911 calls from sandy hook and the shooting there will be made public. a judge ordered their release to examine the police response to the mass anger. prosecutors are appealing the judge's decision saying the tapes could cause anguish to the victims' families. 26 adults and children were killed when adam lanza opened fair on the school. tests on global education are in. for americans the numbers are going in the wrong direction. jonathan betz has the results. these tests show yet again american students are willing. the program for international student assessment tested students from around the world.

asian countries were the top scores. the united states didn't crack the top 20. only 9% of american teens scored in the top two levels of maths, compared to shanghai where half the students who tested aced the exam. in maths 29 countries ranked better than america, including germany, u.k., france. but also countries like esownia, slovenia, chubb lick and latvia. for what it's worth, the u.s. outperformed students in mexico, jordan and indonesia. after 12 years of these tests the united states has not improved scores. the education secretary called it a picture of stagnation. >> the u.n. is marking today as international day for persons with disabilities. saying more than 1 billion people, 15% of the world's population live with a

disability. the government estimates 19% of people have one, and many are children. some schools use technology to help kids learn, even if they can't see, hear or speak. roxana saberi visited one of those schools that specialises in eted u kating kids with severe disabilities. >> kids come to the henry viscardi school from all over new york. some, like chris, in an ambulance. the 16-year-old has a disability and he requires constant medical care. now he's on his way to earning a high school diploma. >> since i came here they taught me a lot, that there are no limits, and i can do anything. >> this confidence is in large part thanks to technology like this. >> do you remember how to do that? >> no. >> it's helping 180 students with severe disabilities who might otherwise not be able to study. >> i know what i want.

i don't let anyone stop me. >> 20-year-old chelsea can't speak through her mouth, but this helps her to communt using her eyes. >> it's using eyegaze. when you don't have much movement, you have access to technology. >> around 8% of children under age 15 in the u.s. are considered disability. half of them are severely disabled. under federal law all children with disabilities up to age 21 have the right to a free education in an environment that meets their needs. a good part of the money goes to technology. >> this student is using a diana box to answer. teaches say technology like this are preparing students for life

beyond the walls. >> some question whether segregated schools can get students ready for the real world. >> the purpose of the education is to let students live in a segregated world. >> the viscardi school prepared richard. the only one of a set of triplets living away from home. >> it would have been difficult to adapt and i wouldn't be dorming. >> chris sees it as a path to college. >> i want to study biology. >> he was the power, he says, like everyone else to reach for his dreams.

>> michael eaves is here with sport. a great day to be a major league baseball free agent of. >> a lot of money thrown around. we'll find out how good the contracts are. after missing off on the playoffs for the second time in 19 years, most expected the yankees to be major players in the free agent mark. that's what they are going. agreeing to a seven year, $153 million contract with jack okayy ellsbury. it included an option that could bring the value to there is 69 million. ellsbury hit 298 with 53 rbi, helping the boston red cox win the world series. it was the second championship with their biggest rivals. it comes in the wake of the

catcher on a huge salary. >> jason kidd has never searched as a head coach before taking over the brooklyn nets head job, the expectations were high because as a player kidd was considered to have one of the highest basketball ideas. after five and 12 starts the nets made a change to the coaching staff. lawrence franc has been reassigned to a role in which he will no longer attend practices and games. there has been reports that there has been tension between kidded and lawrence frank. >> there's different full os fizz. that's it. we'll figure out how to stop people. >> how disappointing is that considering he was your coach. you had a great relationship. >> basketball is about tonight,

about denver. you move forward and you learn. the big thing is i focus and have to have the guys ready to go. >> as for kidd and his team, they were hosting the newing et cetera. it was a tight game, eight minutes remaining, it fell apart for the nix. erupting on a 27-7 run, ending the corner with a 24-point lead. timothy modlov led the players with a career high 20 rebounds as the nuggets won a seventh straight win. >> there's soul-searching. we need to figure out how to pass this together.

not point feeling sorry for us, no one in the league will feel sorry for us. we need to figure it out. anyone knows how, but losing is not fun. >> the new york nicks situation is worse. they've won three of 16 games, a start leading from everything from suspicions of mike woodson loading his job to altercations between players, including johnson and anthony arguing. and otize getting into it. everything is being handled or is much ado about nothing. >> there was a mistake that happened defensively. when it happened, there was words exchanged. at the end of the day that is behind us. we have to move on. that's basketball. if you play any kind of sport that happens. sometimes it's healthy, i think.

>> did you and canyon get into it. i think he was talking about apple pasta, and he had shell pasta, we had an argument about that. >> some people take their past yes seriously. >> now to college football. a u.s. team is hoping bringing back one of pete carroll's assistance well get them back in the hunt for a title. a los angeles native takes over the sc at the university of washington, where he posted is 34 and 29 record. steve sarkisian and kiffin served under pete carroll before each became coaches. lane kiffin was fired and placed by edokayeron and rejected an offer to work under steve sarkisian. >> to be home, and be the head football coach is the u.s.c. an

awesome. i can't tell you the feeling i have seeing your faces, so many familiar faces, how great this feels to have my parents, to sit here at a press conference, accepting a job. this is - you don't get to do this. this is a once in a life-time opportunity that i had to take advantage of and jump on the first chance i got. i spent seven years coaching as an assistant coach. five of those seven we went to rose bowls. i know how special this place it. >> and a note. moriati won the best quarterback and will return. a lot thought he would be going into the nfl draft. >> kevin is up next with the weather and the story behind this picture of morgan freeman.ñ

airbacks are standard for karks but the same technology is used to protect psych lifts.

cycling is a big part of life in sweden. 80% of the people ride by. it's part of the daily commute. only a third wear helmets. >> why should you wear a helmet. i crash with a helmet and cracked into pieces. rather the helmet than my head. >> when we were kids we learnt to ride a bike. >> two industrial design students decided to create a helmet that people would want to air. this was born and mixes high-tech with high fashion. >> they want something discrete. something going better with personal style. a lot of vanity issues, and people were asking for something invisible. unlike a traditional helmet.

this is wrapped around your neck, you activate it after zipping it up. now i'm protected and ready to ride. the colour has sensors which analyse movement patterns 200 times a second, to determine when a psycholift is in a crush. when it happens an airbag deploys. 300 people each year sustain head injuries. initiatives to protect riders is welcome. >> in sweden we have 20 to 30 kilo every year. it's worrying. we are working to increase the helmets. >> once it is deployed, it want be reused. at 540 a piece, some see it as an expensive invest: others hope

it will become an expensive part of a yun form, turning bike safety on its head. >> now, take a look at this picture of morgan freeman. at first glance it looks like a photograph. it's not, not by a long shot. the image is the work of high-tech ard, created by an ipat and a finger. and as you can tell, a lot of time and patience - it took kyle lamb ber a full month to produce this image, and he did it all with the an app. >> an unusual raffle in paris is making it possible to own a painting by pablo piccaso. it's a 1914 original titled many

with opera hat. the raffles will not just benefit one, proceeds will support a cultural initiative. the money will pay for a repair work. earlier we talked with the painter's grandson. i asked him how much they hoped to raise. >> 50,000 zero for about $135. $5 million euros. all the money will go to the charity. >> pablo piccaso's grandson said he was young when the famous relative died and he never met the painter. >> earlier i showed you all of

the snow falling from many states. not only in the parts of idaho. i want to take you back - not to colorado springs. there we go. we are looking at parts of fort colins, and we can see how slippery the roads where. definitely had to get into the winter modes. this does look nice. streets are lit up. come back, i want to show you warnings in effect. you can see the blues. winter storm warnings are serious. we are talking about over half a dozen states looking at the area for winter storm warnings. if you are travelling in the next couple of days, in the higher overpasses, you want the right equipment with you. it will be slippery, traffic will stop ahead of you. you won't get the traction. be careful. the other event is cold air down

here, all part of the same system, down towards california. they'll see some of the record-breaking low temperatures from most of california. take a look at the temperatures for los angeles, going down to 31 on friday, 29 op saturday. possibly seeing a mix of rain and snow. temperatures up to the north. bismark at 11, rab ied city at 12, factor ours the wind chill they feel like minus digements. the other place is what is happening up here to minnesota. the snow is falling. 12 inches of snow over the region. it will be a major problem. we'll see a forecast map. rain will make its way up for parts of the michigan and the rain will settle down down here towards the south.

>> look at the map for texas. this system is giving us all of these problems here. tomorrow's high for dallas - 80 degrees. highs for harrison okene, 66 degrees. we are seeing a drop in temperature for the north of that as a gold front pushed down and temperatures will drop as well over the next couple of days. dallas drops though 44 degrees. we are your shorts on wednesday, put them away on thursday. rainy and snowy over the next couple of days. new york is not looking too bad. we'll see rain showers coming into play by the end of the week. >> i want to take you to the grand canon, a once in a decade event where you see this much fog in the grand canyon, it's beautiful. many saw it in a whole new way. that's a look at your national weather. have a great evening everyone.

welcome to al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler in new york. here are the top stories. detroit has officially become the largest city in the u.s. to go bankrupt. a federal judge cleared the way for officials to deal with $20 billion in debt. pensions of city workers and retirees could be on the chopping block. that possibility sparks protests. federal investigators say it's too soon to say what caused the derailment in new york. a union official said the engineer was nodding off before the train lost control at 89 miles per hour. four people died, 60 were injured in the crash. vice president joe biden has arrived in